Star Wars Republic Commando: Search for the Fallen
by Raw Sewage Writings
Summary: As the Clone Wars meet its end, the battle for Kashyyyk rages on. Wracked with grief, Delta Squad was forced to pull out of the Wookiee city of Kachirho, leaving behind their fellow Squadmate and brother. Scorch howover, refuses to leave Kashyyyk without Sev and will stop at nothing to find him...


Chapter 01

Delta 38, who was more commonly known as Boss, brought his hands up to his white and orange helmet and released the vacuum seal to remove it from his shaved head. He placed it on his knee with his hand over it and laid his head back onto the metal wall of the Republic Gunship. He sat on the floor of the Gunship and breathed slowly. Across from where he sat, stood Delta 40 also known as Fixer. His arm was raised above his head as he grabbed the net that hung from the ceiling of the ship. He stood in his brilliant white and green armor with his removed helmet in his hands and DC-17 Blaster Rifle clipped to his ammo belt. His face showed sorrow with his head lowered and staring at his feet. Delta 62 also called Scorch, showed more anger than sadness. Just minutes ago he was taking his anger out on the metal wall of the Gunship with his fist. He breathed heavily and was fuming in his white and yellow armor. From where Boss sat, he thought he could spot a dent. Once Fixer collected his wits once again he released the hand holds and turned to walk towards his squad leader. Delta Squad was an elite set of four (now three) specially trained Clone Troopers of the Galactic Republic. They all shared both voice and facial appearance as all of the Clones originated from the DNA of the Bounty Hunter Jango Fett and spawned on the watery planet of Kamino. Boss was the commander of the team, Fixer served as the technician of the team and Scorch was the demolition expert. Just before they left the war-damaged city of Kachiro, The team had lost their marksmen, 07 also named Sev. Sev's current status was currently unknown to the squad. All that they knew was that he was either KIA or MIA. Boss and Fixer were both ready to accept the fact that Sev was dead. Scorch however, was passionate and extremely distraught over the fact that the team wasn't even going to attempt a rescue operation.

As Fixer stood next to Boss, he crouched down and quietly spoke to the fatigued Commando.

"Sir you gotta talk to Scorch," said Fixer with the traditional rasped voice of the Clone Troopers. "I'm afraid of how he's taking this with the loss of Sev and all."

"I know he's worrying me too." Boss took a quick glance at Scorch in his enraged state. "I need you to keep an eye out for him. He's got a bit of a record of doing the most unexpected things."

"You talkin' about his accident in training. I thought you ordered him to plant that demo charge?"

Boss shook his head "Nope, that was all him."

With that Fixer walked back to where he stood before his brief conversation. Boss took a sigh then got up to his feet and made his way to where Scorch was performing his silent temper tantrum. Scorch stood with his back to the others and used his extended arm to support him. Once Boss was behind him, he placed his hand caringly on Scorch's armored shoulder.

"We did the right thing Scorch. We followed orders. We did our job. We can't be blamed."

Scorch turned his body and threw Boss' hand off of his shoulder. "No we didn't we failed, because of those blasted 'orders'." As he spoke there was a slight clench in his teeth. "What happened to 'Never leave a man behind'? Omega wouldn't."

Boss was lost for words. He had to be careful with what he said to Scorch. Scorch was a respectful and cooperative commando, but in times where his mind is focused on revenge and anger, he had to be cautious. Just minutes ago, the Commando had threatened Boss to shoot him. "Look Scorch, the orders came from the top, from General Yoda. We had no choice but to follow them."

"Screw the little green dwarf! Sev was our brother and we left him, period." Scorch then reached to his side holster and extracted his DC-15s sidearm. He placed the pistol in Boss' hand. "Like I said, shoot me. I'd rather be dead then leave a brother." Boss quickly shoved the sidearm back into Scorch's armored chest.

"Hey, I was all for going back for Sev. And I understand how you feel. But this is something that we must all understand; war sure as hell ain't merciful. Feirfek, Scorch you should know this! There are going to be losses and casualties. But as a team we will fight through it. You'll never be alone; none of us will ever be alone." Boss couldn't tell if that helped. Scorch's breathing slowed, though his clenched narrow jaw remained stiff. He nodded slowly while looking down at his feet. Boss then replaced his gauntleted hand on Scorch's shoulder and walked past the grieving commando. He stepped up to the cockpit area. Blocking his way was a sealed door. He pressed a button near the side of the door and watched it retract to the side. What he saw was two seats behind a large window of transparisteel that protected the pilot and co-pilot from the outside atmosphere, though Kashyyyk was perfectly hospitable. Through the large glass cover, Boss saw a real sight for sore eyes, a fleet, and the most beautiful at that. The fleet consisted of many war ships, lingering just in the atmosphere. Swarms of landing crafts carried the forces of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Republic Infantry had finally arrived to liberate the Wookiees of Kashyyyk from the metal fist of the Separatist's Droid army. The CIS was the enemy of the Republic and it was the Clone Trooper's job to strike back. Delta squad had had their fair share of CIS encounters. And now because of Delta's performance down on the surface of Kashyyyk, the CIS was greatly crippled, but still ticking. The two pilots, wearing similar yet slimmer armor directed the Gunship down over the tree tops till they came to a clearing. In the heart of this clearing, a mobile command post had been established to lead the efforts. Though the platform itself had already been placed, Clones scrambled around it, activating its systems. As the pilots lowered the LAAT just off of the platform, Boss replaced his Commando helmet, covering his scarred, weathered, and grime encrusted, dirty face. The endless battle staged on Kashyyyk had done more than left its mark on him; it wrenched a part of him away.

Chapter 02

As the LAAT sat on a bubble of air over the blowing grass plains, the crafts bay doors slid to the side allowing the hulking figures of the three Commandos to step off and onto the grass. Clones that had never before seen a commando up close were mesmerized by the awesome view. They felt almost intimidated by the stature and reputation of the Commandos. Boss walked across the grass smoothly over to the mobile command post with Fixer and Scorch both behind him. Their helmets were again on their heads; they were back on the job. The reflective blue Mandalorian 'T' faceplates, gave credit to the culture by which the Commando's modeled themselves after. Delta's commander stepped up a ramp leading to the assembly of monitors. A field officer with his back to them was busy on a terminal assessing a Clone analyst. A trooper standing next to him leaned towards the officer.

"Sir, Commandos." The officer turned to face the three elite troopers. The Officer sported the same Clone Phase II armor as every other trooper, except with yellow detailing. When he saw the three, he was amazed.

"Whoa Delta Squad," the Officer said. He offered his hand which Boss, impatiently shook.

"Commander, what are your orders?" Boss inquired.

"All business I see, good." The Officer grinned. "I'm Commander Tyval; I'll be your advisor."

"Huh, wait a minute?" Scorch burst out. "What about 425?" Tyval didn't seem to know what to say.

"Must've been reassigned," he said dryly. Scorch glared at Tyval and growled. Boss glared back at Scorch. Fixer nudged his shoulder, muttering over their helmet com.

"Stow it 62." Tyval, unaware of the Squad's current ordeal continued, not sure what to make of the Commando's strange behavior. He stepped up to a holo-table in the center of the command post. A projection of a large fortified wall imbedded in the wooden infrastructure hovered in a slow rotation.

"Deltas just minutes ago we discovered the enemy's purpose for Kashyyyk. General Quinlan Vos transmitted Intel. Boss closed in on the table watching intently. "This is the Caaltuvac Vault. Wookiee cartographers have gathered information on space routes for years and have stored them in this vault."

"That's some heavy stuff," Fixer blurted. "No wonder why the Separatists want it."

"Precisely," Tyval exclaimed. "In their hands, they'd be two steps ahead of us on every transit move we make. Your Objective is to defend this vault from any CIS engagement." The display on the holo-table suddenly changed, the blue glow emitted unnecessarily on the Clones' white armor in the hot, radiant sun. The three Commandos circled around the table now studying the image of a base fortified high in the trees. "This facility, the Wooks call Tree Vikkilynn, is where this vault is stored."

"Creative bunch the Rugs are," Scorch remarked snidely. He had been quiet throughout the briefing which Boss had preferred; being aware of Scorch's capacity for rash action.

"That's enough Scorch!" Boss growled. From behind his helmet, Tyval eyed the Commandos in orange and yellow with concern.

"Hey Delta!" Tyval barked. "Get it together. This mission cannot fail," he said stiffly. Frankly he was surprised, from Delta Squad's reputation; they were level headed and focused. But something was off. The three Commandos before him seemed out of step, discordant. He questioned if they were right for the task. But then there was their reputation, they don't fail.

"Pardon 62 here Sir," Boss said. "It was a long night." Tyval still didn't understand, and Boss' reasoning was unsatisfying.

"Understood," Tyval replied hesitantly.

"Sir." Boss stepped back from the table and faced Tyval. "This is obviously a top priority mission, so why waste time sharing Intel you could've sent to us over the comms?"

"Because your squad isn't mission ready, you're down a man." Tyval remarked coldly. From behind his helmet, Scorch's scarred face glowered with hate at the Advisor. His fist clenched from below his beltline. No comfort came from Fixer's hand. The green Commando placed it on his shoulder blade, squeezing hard through the tough armor.

"Easy brother," he whispered over the comms. Boss too felt Scorch's pain; as did Fixer. But the two of them always had better reserve over themselves compared to Scorch. They learned self-control long ago in the training rooms of Kamino. They're trainer and mentor, the Mandalorian, Walon Vau easily exploited Scorch and Sev because of their brazen tendencies. Thoughts of Sev, their fourth wracked a pang of pain inside him. As he discretely fought this pain, another loud hum emerged from across the valley. A second LAAT Gunship drifted with military precision to the command post. Tyval stepped broadly up to the edge of the platform. From behind, Boss watched intently as the cargo bay came into view. Grasping tightly to the net overhead, a Clone equipped with highly customized armor stood on the edge. His armor sported a green detailing that almost mimicked camouflage. His helmet was capped with a visor and sported a green faceplate instead of the traditional black. Covering his shoulders, a dark armored pauldron, with extra clips of ammunition strapped down. The Advanced Recon Commando that stood boldly before Delta Squad was a hunter no doubt about it. Slung on his shoulder was a DC-15x, the GAR standard issue sniper blaster. Held in his free hand, a DC-15S.

"Delta Squad, meet Alpha ARC 0351, your new fourth." The ARC, Keilbourn, would never fit in; Boss was sure of it. Scorch however, would see to it. He was livid, fuming and completely insulted. As Keilbourn greeted his new team, be felt a chill come from Delta 38 and Delta 40. But when Keilbourn extended his hand to the Delta in yellow armor, Scorch smacked his hand down and stepped up, just centimeters apart from the ARC.

"Let's get something straight White-job, you are not a replacement! You are temporary, got it Aruetil!" Scorch shouted while standing over the ARC. Completely thrown off guard, Keilbourn nodded slowly, yet still held his ground.  
"Sure thing," he mumbled. Scorch stomped past him, purposely butting his shoulder, and clomped onboard the LAAT. Boss walked by and nodded briefly in an attempt of apology. As Fixer approached, Keilbourn stopped him. "Aruetil?" he repeated in confusion.

"It's Mando'a, for outsider."

Chapter 03

As the LAAT flew over the treetops, the Commandos and ARC watched as the battle for Kashyyyk raged below. The haunting sounds of blaster fire followed closely by death rang even over the loud hum of the Gunship. Flashes from the lethal beams in various colors of blue, green and red streaked all around them both on the ground and in the air. Delta Squad loved being on the ground in the primary offensives, but only they could execute the truly demanding objectives. Boss studied from his portable projector, the schematics of Tree Vikkilynn. It was no military facility with dreadful fortifications and strategic points. It mainly consisted of three large areas. The threshold seemed the best location to fortify a defensive position. His team could handle it; he was sure about most of them. As the LAAT flew out of the open battle and approached Kachirho, the Deltas felt a pang of pain and guilt, common only to the original three. Their previous objective was located off to the far western reaches of the Wookiee City in the deeper end of the towering forest. As familiar land marks came into view, in their mind's eye, so did the mission. For all they knew, somewhere down there in the ruin was their brother, Sev. The LAAT pulled away to the east, closing in on the one large Wroshyr tree towering out above the bay. The Commandos never failed to marvel at the mountainous scale of the trees. Delta Squad's internal grief was suddenly ripped from them as with wing to their LAAT nearly collided with a laser blast. The pilot had swerved to avoid the shot. More and more followed, forcing the pilot to bank away in jagged maneuvers. Boss stepped up to the cockpit.

"What's the deal!" he demanded. Without diverting his attention, he replied.

"The CIS has placed sentry towers around the base Sir," he replied with a slight panic. The Delta quickly studied the area, coming to a solution.

"Take us over one," he ordered.

"What! Are you nuts?"

"Just do it pilot," Boss barked as he turned around. He rejoined the others in the cargo bay to find they were all armed and ready. "Listen Deltas we got a net of sentry towers down there keeping us from the facility, we're dropping in on one and taking it over, roger?"

"Affirmative," they replied. Another barrage of laser fire sent the LAAT into a sharp bank, as it timidly approached from above. The Commandos inside stabilized themselves by attaching their grapples to the edge of the LAAT. The pilot's panicked voice came over the comms.

"You want a drop, you better start now!" Boss motioned with his gauntleted hand.

"Go, go, go!" he barked as he threw himself out of the craft. He haphazardly repelled at a dangerous speed. To add to all the chaos, the pilot didn't dare stay stationary to hover over the tower. He swooped in a controlled descent at an angle just close enough for the Commandos to repel from. Boss was sure to retract his cable as soon as possible. Scorch and Fixer did too but with difficulty. Keilbourn however struggled. As he made contact with the tower, the domed peak was slick, causing his unsustainable hold to fail. The cable continued to drag him as the LAAT began to ascend away. Boss watched the horror unfold in slow motion. He knew this would happen. An ARC was no Commando, and this ARC was no Delta. To 38's surprise, Scorch leapt from his place on the large dome. He extended himself completely, enabling his reach of Keilbourn's rappelling cable. At this point, the two dangling troopers had cleared the dome and were just inches from clearing the outer rail of the tower. Scorch locked a hold of Keilbourn's wrist as he used his gauntlet's retractable vibro-blade to slice the cable. Following the clean slice, the two dropped from the craft. Again Scorch fully extended himself and grasped tightly on the rail. Boss moved quickly followed by Fixer. They reattached their cables and quickly rappelled down the dome. As Scorch looked up to the walkway, he spotted three Battle Droids. Their long faces eyed him as they leveled their blasters with their feeble, mechanic arms. Before they were able to let off a shot though, they were immediately destroyed by the hail of blaster fire that rained from Boss and Fixer's DC-17s. The two Deltas hung by their grapples from the dome over the railing. Boss and Fixer disengaged their grapples and dropped with a clang on the walkway. As Boss assisted Scorch, Fixer circled behind him, blaster leveled and ready.

"Scrap metal," Fixer grunted as he kicked the cold, mechanical remains of the feeble battle droids. Keilbourn grasped the railing then swung his legs over the edge. Landing in a crouch, he drew his DC-15S, covering the Squad's left flank. Scorch pulled himself up with Boss' help. When his boots finally hit the metal, Keilbourn turned towards him.

"What happened to being temporary?" the ARC asked, catching his breath.

"Get smart with me and I'll throw you over the rail," Scorch snapped.

"Cut the chatter you two," Fixer growled over the comms. Boss motioned to the entry down the walkway. The Squad swiftly made their way to the edges of the entry.

"I want a charge on this door," the Delta commanded. Boss took the right flank with Fixer on the left and Keilbourn at the rear as Scorch planted a demo charge on the door's seal. Seconds after being placed, the charge went off. Fixer tossed a flash-bang grenade from his belt into the room. After hearing the minimal blast, the Squad moved in like a well oiled machine of precision. Their movements were near perfect, even with a replacement on the roster. Keilbourn was no greenhorn. He may have been younger than the other Delta veterans, but Keilbourn had his own share of military field service. Alpha ARCs were basically stripped-down Commandos. Though they generally work alone, they were not unaccustomed with teamwork; which was the key to an efficient room seizing. Boss fired single shots at a time, precisely shooting down droid after droid. Scorch had rushed in, thrusting his vibro-blade into one droid before tossing it into another two. One by one, the droids fell at the gun of the Commandos.

"Poor tinnies never stood a chance," Keilbourn chuckled. Boss glanced over at the ARC.

"You work with Omega before?" he inquired.

"Trained with Kal'buir for a time," Keilbourn answered.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Fixer mused as he worked the tower's battery controls. "CIS software is chizk," the Commando swore. Fixer sliced into the consol with ease. Boss looked through the transparisteel sheet to the other towers helping to form the defensive net of laser fire. He turned away to his demolitions operator.

"Scorch, set a charge on the primary generator," he ordered. Scorch turned away to execute the order. Keilbourn glanced over at the departing Commando.

"I'll cover you," the ARC said. He clomped on the floor to follow Scorch out. Scorch glared over at him quizzically for a moment as he clipped his DC-17 to his belt. He fished around before extracting his grapple once again. Keilbourn eyed the device remembering how his was now completely useless, just a waste of valuable space on his belt. Far below under a blanket of the eerie mist of Kashyyyk's morning, the lights of battle flashed violently. Scorch finished fastening his grapple, then plunged straight into what seemed like the midst of the battle. Over the com, Fixer's voice broke through.

"According to the schematics 62, you're leveled with the generator." From where Keilbourn stood, Scorch was barely visible through the mist. The ARC had clipped his DC-15s to his belt and shouldered his DC-15x sniper. Through the scope, he scanned any potential threats to Scorch's safety. Far below, Scorch dangled thirty feet from the railing. Using his vibro-blade, he cut through the metal casing of the tower. Once he had sliced through, he wrenched the panel off the side with his own hands. The Commando tossed it aside. He dug the blade into the plating beside the opening to keep his grip on the tower. With his free hand, he reached to his pack and extracted a portable demo charge. With the breach in the tower's structure, Scorch heard the functions whirring into action. Suddenly the two large turbo cannons fired from the top of the tower. The shots targeted the tower to their left. Upon the impact, the other tower exploded into a smoldering heap of machinery. Scorch expertly fastened the charge's magnets to the humming power generator. He took only seconds to punch in the correct controls. Suddenly, a hail of laser fire shot right at him, nearly shooting him down. Scorch hugged the tower, to create a smaller target. A sleek, four pronged Vulture droid screeched up to them in a strafe to target the dangling Commando.

"ARC do your job and shoot them down," Scorch shouted. Keilbourn leveled his rifle and aimed for the craft's vital point. The ARC focused on the droid's glowing red eye on the head of the craft. He fired his rifle, sending a precise, blue laser bolt. The shot struck the Vulture Droid on the targeted eye, piercing straight into the brain receptor. By destroying the receptor, the droid's connection to the central computer was severed. Smoke billowed from the impact as the craft spiraled out of the air, crashing straight into the ocean below.

"Charge is set, regrouping with squad," Scorch declared, pressing one final button, stabilizing the device. Keilbourn continued to scan with his scope.

"Your clear 62," he said." Inside the tower's control room, Fixer and Boss targeted the tower to their right. Keilbourn still watching from the balcony turned his attention to the tower. He noticed the twin cannons rotating to target them. "Sir," Keilbourn called out over the com. "They're targeting us."

"Fixer, fire this blasted thing!" Boss shouted.

"Tower is targeted, firing!" the Delta said. Another cluster of cannon fire erupted with a powerful pulse. Again, the tower exploded before firing off at them. The explosion engulfed the sky in flame as shards of metal rained down on the battle below. Scorch climbed back over the rail with ease as Boss again spoke over the com.

"Advisor this is Delta 38, towers have been neutralized. Awaiting exfil," Boss said. Suddenly, a hatch just around the bend of the walkway opened. Battle Droids emerged from the hatch, firing blasters at Scorch and Keilbourn. The ARC dropped to a roll to his left away from the railing. Scorch dropped to one knee and leveled his DC-17 in one swift movement. In his crouched state, Keilbourn too drew his DC-15s. The two factions exchanged blaster fire of blue and red. The two of them dropped the Droids with ease. Suddenly one of the remaining Droids was knocked off of the walkway clomping into view were three of the broader Super Battle Droids. They stood inches taller than the B1 standard Battle Droids. After knocking the Battle Droid out of the way, the SBD stepped up to the front of the group and fired it's wrist-mounted blaster. The blasts shot at the Commandos, who dived for cover.

"Oh great, these guys!" Scorch growled in disgust. Boss and Fixer emerged from the control room, firing away their DC-17s. Finally, their comms broke with the pilot's voice.

"Delta Squad I'm on approach thanks for clearing the skies."

"You can thank us by getting us off this thing," Fixer replied. To their relief, the LAAT Gunship approached the tower. The bow turrets were alight with green blaster fire. The suppression allowed Delta to easily board the Gunship. Boss helped pull Keilbourn into the hold.

"Hold tight ARC," Scorch remarked as Keilbourn grasped the net above.

"Let's go pilot, don't waste your time with these Droids," Boss commanded. The LAAT pulled away from the tower before accelerating past it closer to the facility. Boss extracted a handheld device from his belt. He pressed a flashing red button down with his thumb. "Boom," the Delta said simply. The explosion thundered louder than the previous two. The tower crumpled in half as smaller explosions followed. Fixer looked up at Scorch across the way. The Commando was standing at the very edge, watching as the tower went up in flames.

"That's gotta cheer you up huh 62," he said.

"Shove off," Scorch growled under his breath. Keilbourn looked up at the Delta with interest and concern. He like all other of the Grand Army of the Republic knew of the reputation of Delta Squad. What few operations that were publically known, they were highly revered for. What was more, the ARC had even temporarily trained with the Commandos on Kamino. The bounty hunter, from whom the Clone Army originated from, Jango Fett, was the primary trainer of the Alpha ARCs. Because of his frequent business travels the ARCs were group trained at times by either of the two Mandalorian overseers, Walon Vau and Kal Skiratta. Keilbourn himself had actually grown a relationship with Delta's trainer, Sergeant Walon Vau. To actually be a part of Delta to the ARC was an honor, though Keilbourn was perfectly aware that the feeling wasn't mutual. Within very little time, the LAAT swooped down closer to the facility. The structure was surrounded by heavy vegetation. The entire architectural layout was of a natural wood décor. On the top of the building were large dome skylights, clumped together into a massive structure. In the front of the building was a large staircase with vast carved pillars. The intricate wooden doors stood tall and sealed. From the outside, CIS forces fought against resistance. The Deltas watched as numerous, large, dark hairy beasts thrashed their mechanical foes. The Wookiee Warriors growled and howled battle cries as they fired intricate bowcasters or ripped Droids apart with their bare claws. The help of Republic forces was much needed, though Wookiees were vicious when needed to be and a fearsome force.

"Go brothers go," Boss mused.

"Deltas we're at Tree Vikkilynn," the pilot announced.

"Takes down to the roof," Boss said. The pilot did as was told and descended to the roof of the base. The Deltas moved quickly, hopping down from the LAAT which hovered five feet above the roof. One by one, they stomped down, blasters leveled and ready for any threat. They filed over to the edge of the roof. Boss peered over to find that the Wookiee's valiant attempts were failing. Closing in on the front step of the base were five heavily armed Hailfire Droid tanks. The tanks signature two large hoop-like wheels carried the head of the tank and the two large missile pods. As Super Battle Droids laced the air with deadly blaster fire, clearing out the Wookiee forces, the Hailfires positioned themselves at the rear, focusing on the front doors.

"Sir they're about to breach the base," Fixer observed. Boss turned away and hoofed it to the large dome structure in the middle of the roof.

"Then we'll just have to cut them off," Boss said. The others followed him.

"Sir, a door breach charge should do just fine," Scorch said as he observed the glass.

"Well then let's place it," Boss said. Scorch nodded as he crouched down on the glass, placing a small handheld device on the glass. He pressed three buttons on the face of the device.

"Charge set, clear out!" the Delta called out as he backed away hastily. Within a second, the charge detonated. The blast was minimal but had the Squad's desired effect. Where the charge once lay was now a hole six feet in diameter in the thick dome structure. The entire structure shook from the force of the blast but stayed intact. The Deltas latched their grapples on the edge from their belts. Before dropping, Boss stretched his hand out to Keilbourn. Without a word, the ARC locked wrists and leapt over into the gap as Boss and the other Commandos rappelled down. Suddenly numerous explosions sounded, shaking the entire base.

Chapter 04

The Deltas felt the vibration of the explosions through the cable of their grapples. Being heavier, Boss and Keilbourn reached the inside first. The area was vast and open, save the large sculpture placed in the very center of the room. The metal networking and tiny globes was a replica of space. Boss however had no time to admire art. As the rest of Delta touched the ground, the flame and smoke of the smoldering doorway was beginning to clear. Fixer and Scorch scrambled for cover.

"Sir?" Fixer asked.

"Shoot first," Boss advised. He leveled his DC-17 and fired away at the Super Battle Droids emerging eerily from the black smoke. Fixer, Scorch and Keilbourn too shot at the mass of smoke. In retaliation, red bolts were shot back at them. The Squad hadn't even noticed in the rush of their entry, the Wookiees of the Caaltuvac Guild, retreating back inside the sealed room between the main chamber and the vault. Few however, failed to dodge the Droids' blaster fire, dropping in pained growls. Scorch ducked back behind the root of a large pillar where he struggled for cover. Fixer kept a constant rate of fire on the advancing Droids. In between the push of the tall, broad SBDs, the smaller, skeletal B-1 Battle Droids, rushed into the chamber Boss was growing tired of their helpless attempt.

"Oh frag this!" Fixer growled as he dived out of the radius of a thrown thermal detonator. One of the SBDs took the opportunity of an open line of fire.

"Scorch, cover me!" Boss called out. He charged out into the open suppressing the enemy back with wild shots. Scorch positioned himself on an upper level. He swiftly removed the barrel and clip of his DC-17 rifle, stowing the components on his belt and extracted a new piece. All with a matter of seconds, he fastened the anti-armor attachment to his DC-17. With the new heavy armament, he aimed it down at the feet of the SBDs. The explosion seemed delayed, letting off a bang at their feet. Boss had taken this advantage to rush to Fixer's aid. He shoved him out of the Droids' lines of fire.

"Sir we need a strategy or this defensive is going to fail fast." Keilbourn spoke in his com. Boss dropped to a knee and fired away knocking down another Droid. One of the SBDs whom received damage from Scorch's grenade collapsed to the floor.

"Advisor," Boss called in the comms. "ETA on Republic relief forces," the Delta inquired. All Deltas continued they're suppressive fire yet kept their ears open for Tyval's answer; though for a while, no reply came from the other end.

"ETA is ten minutes Deltas."

"Ten more minutes if this and we're farkled," Fixer shouted as he exchanged his spent clip with a fresh one. Boss quickly scanned the vast chamber. He saw Scorch's position which gave him an idea.

"Okay Squad listen up," he called out calmly. "One at a time on my mark we'll fall back to the rear balcony. From there we'll stage a more strategic hold. That is it, men. That line will not be broken; clear?" While in the midst of the battle, Boss heard their replies.

"Roger that."

"Scorch you've got gun, cover Keilbourn on his retreat," Boss called out. He fired off his DC-17 suppressing back the CIS forces. "Go now!" Boss shouted. Keilbourn ceased firing his DC-15s. He spun around and charged down the chamber. He paused behind the mantle which supported the exquisite metal sculpture. After a brief pause of cover, he hopped back to his feet and climbed the stairs three steps at a time.

"Keilbourn, take a sniping position," Boss commanded.

"Aye Sir," the ARC replied, dropping his DC-15s and shouldering his sniper. With the added precise shots, the Super Battle Droids tougher alloy was weakened.

"40, your next, go!" Boss shouted over the com. As Fixer fired while backing away, the Delta commander lobbed an Electro Magnetic Pulse grenade, sending a wave of electricity within its blast radius. As the grenade went off, Super Battle Droids shuddered and were nearly paralyzed by the streaks of electricity. Boss took the advantage and focused his aim on one of the larger droids. By the time the last round in his clip was fired, the hulking mech dropped.

"Nice takedown 38," Fixer jeered. "We got you covered." Boss too continued to fire as he backed away, slamming another clip into the port on the side of his DC-17. As he approached the sculpture, the Commando recognized a terror to all Republic forces; the distinct rattle of rolling metal, sailing to the battlefront, followed by the sudden stop and clicking of unfolding and locking into place.

"Oh Feirfek," Boss swore. The Droidekas' duo laser cannon fire pinned him behind the mantel of the sculpture. Bits of stone chipped and rained down on him by the impact of the powerful cannons. Their relentless rain of laser fire only infuriated him.

"Scorch!" he yelled out.  
"Don't worry Boss; I got 'em." The grey and yellow detailed Commando loaded another charge in his DC-17's anti armor chamber. The lob arced over Boss and the sculpture, landing squarely in between two of the shielded Droid nightmares. Their shields stood no match for the Delta's blast, throwing bits of droid around the room. The surrounding B-1 Battle Droids squealed in digital voices, as they continued to fire, unable to think for themselves or retreat. Boss took the Droids' hesitation and used the relief of blaster fire to storm up the stairs. The CIS' forces now fired at an incline, as the Deltas rained down precise shots and streaks of blue blaster fire on the poorly positioned Droids. One by one, bits of machine flew in the air as the blaster bolts struck right through their alloy. The Delta's strategy of taking the fight to the high ground was smart and effective, yet was an extreme risk. Moving the line so close to the sealed doors to the Caaltuvac Guild's sacred vault was a vital risk. Any fault in their defense and the database was lost. Their drop to the back of the chamber allowed the CIS to advance, despite Delta Squad's suppressive fire. Before long, the B-1s were reaching the sculpture. Delta was stationed along the balcony of the second landing which encircled the entire room. Their line was spread thin, two across from each other on both side, and two manning the bend in the rear of the room. Advisor was right to insist on Delta picking up another man. Without Keilbourn, the line would suffer even more; his help was invaluable. As a droid decided to duck away from Fixer's line of fire by spinning around the sculpture, Boss picked him off effortlessly with a beautiful headshot.

"Dumb mech," the Commando sneered. The Droid however did not drop to the floor. Instead it stumbled around headless, brainless on its flimsy little legs. The Short circuit of the Droid's systems jammed its motor functions, causing it to continue firing. Boss barely saw it happen. He only saw Scorch drop in a spin, landing flat on his stomach. The Delta was unresponsive, not a word nor a movement. Fixer apparently got a better view of the shock.

"Sir Scorch has taken a round he's down!" Fixer exclaimed over the com.

"Don't 40!" Boss yelled with great difficulty.

"But Sir!"

"That's an order, Commando!" Scorch's lack of presence was disturbing to him. He wanted nothing more than to go to his aid. But now with only three to man the line, they couldn't spare the set of hands to assess his wounds. With only three rifles now holding the line, the Droids advanced to the staircase with ease. The Super Battle Droids hung in the rear with the persistent rain of fire from the Droidekas. B-1 Battle Droids however surged forward, firing away as they climbed up the stairs. Before long they breached the balcony. Keilbourn crouched across from Scorch's empty position on the left wing of the bend. Seeing the persistence of the Droids, he abandoned his rifle.

"Frag this." The ARC leapt from the balcony, into the body of machine on the staircase. With the momentum of his launch, he punched a B-1 squarely in its long snouted face. The head popped clean off. As the Droids around him tried to pick him off with a shot of blaster fire, he was either too quick with his strikes or dodged them, allowing a Droid behind him to be hailed with friendly fire. Boss grinned slightly.

"That ARC has balls," he mused. Keilbourn's takeover of the staircase allowed Boss and Fixer to redirect focus on the forces hanging in the back. Boss was then interrupted by Tyval's voice in his com.

"Delta 38, I'm reading dangerously low vitals on 62. What's his status?"

"Critical, Advisor! What the frag is the status on reinforcements?" Boss growled into the com. Normally Delta 38 was known for keeping his cool, staying smooth and calm even while in the heat of battle. But as he boarded the LAAT Gunship hours ago from Kachirho, blatantly leaving Sev behind while in crisis, a part of him was left behind too. He was afraid. In all four years of the War, and the hundreds of missions he had operated, he felt a certain invulnerability. His Squad though close to it, had not once been killed or even severely injured. He always had the knowledge that his men were professionals, and they wouldn't fail. Then they lost Sev. Now that safety in his mind had been compromised. The net of reassurance he always fell back into, now had a large hole in it, it was compromised. Now with Scorch's critical condition, the hole in the net had expanded. He was sinking into fear.

"Delta 38, reinforcements are inbound. ETA is one minute," Tyval said calmly.

"Roger that," Boss replied. He quickly glanced over at Scorch, lifelessly sprawled on the floor. "Sir I'm requesting med-evac for Delta 62," the Commando said. He tried to regain his smooth cool control over his voice.

"Roger that, there's a Larty on the inbound," Tyval replied. "But Deltas, you need to clear out that room." The Clone Advisor spoke with a stiff sound, laced with desperation.

"Got it handled Advisor," Keilbourn jeered gruffly as he smashed two Droids into each other with his bare hands. Boss admired the ARC's ability. Between the three of them, the Deltas handled the room with difficulty yet, the Droids failed to gain anymore ground on them. Boss and Fixer continued to rain down suppressive fire on the count of four leftover SBDs. Keilbourn finished smashing the B-1s into bits, leaving entrails of metal and wires sparking on the steps of the staircase. The ARC reached back up for his DC-15x and leveled it before squeezing off a round. The bolt struck the Droid dead in the chest, knocking it down into a crumple of metal.

"Grenade out!" Fixer called over the comms as he lobed a thermal detonator. The grenade exploded behind the SBDs in their weaker spaces. The Droids stumbled yet continued firing. Fixer from inside his helmet's Heads up display checked on Scorch's health vitals. "Boss, Scorch's vitals are dangerously low. We need to act now!" Boss glanced over again at the fallen Commando.

"Cover me!" Boss yelled out. He ducked lower behind the balcony as he sidestepped his way to his pod-brother. He reached the armored Commando, rolling him on his side. To Boss' horror, he saw on the left side of Scorch's chest plate, a black, sizzling, gaping hole the size of a large coin. Boss didn't need any medical experience, though he had basic Commando knowledge, to tell that the wound hit the Delta's heart. Boss quickly reached into his pack for the device the Commandos called, the Kicker. All Commandos were issued biogenic implants which hastened the healing process of Bacta, the galaxy's medical treatment for just about all injuries. All that was required to enable the implant was a jumpstart on the body which was provided by the Kicker. Boss held out the device in his hand. Two flaps opened in a 'V' opening out to Scorch's lifeless form. Again Boss' fear was realized. A wound such as this could and probably will kill him. As the meter facing Boss finally reached 100%, he felt the surge of energy jolt in his hand and strike Scorch. The Commando jumped in his lifeless state by the sudden jolt and force of the Kicker. "Come on Scorch get up!" Boss cried out gruffly. The Commando made no further move. Boss leveled the Kicker over Scorch again and waited for the device to charge. As it reached 100% the second time, Boss squeezed the trigger even harder than before. The sudden jolt pulsed again through the panels and into the Commando. Again Scorch shuddered on the floor. Boss dropped the device and reached for the Commando's helmet. He unlocked the seal and pulled it from his pod-brother's scarred head. The Commando's hair had been bleached blonde. Accompanied where hair grew no more, was a large scar streaking from his right temple down past his closed eye, stopping around the bridge of his nose. The terrible burns he received from his accident in training was forever imprinted on his face, a testament to what his rashness was capable of and the cost that he carried along with it. Boss placed his fingers on Scorch's neck. There was a pulse. The Commando sighed deeply. The battle was over.

Chapter 05

Boss hated all of the uncertainty. Not a moment went by when he didn't contemplate over Delta 07, Sev's well being. It aggravated him for one that they were unable to even attempt a search and rescue. For all he knew, the Commando was alive. The only thing he knew for certain however, Scorch was alive. Though again whether he would remain that way met uncertainty as well. The battle for Tree Vikkilynn ended when the Republic's ground forces had reached the shattered doors of the base and helped Delta Squad gun down the few remaining Droids. At this point, the chamber had no visible floor only the scarred, broken remains of smoldering Droids. The pure white armored troops surged in the chamber. Fixer had called down a Corpsman. The Clone Medic reached Scorch and settled him on a collapsible stretcher. Boss watched as his comrade was stabilized and carried away to the awaiting LAAT outside. The two clones carefully carried the stretcher out into the bright open platform. Boss glanced over at Fixer. The white and green armored Delta nodded to him, stowing away his DC-17 on his belt. Fixer and Boss strolled straight through the shattered doorway. They moved quickly and with purpose. As they emerged out to the sunbathed platform, they continued straight to the landed LAAT Gunship. Three Clones bustled around the bulky drop ship, checking its systems before departing. The two carrying Scorch's stretched gently lowered him to the floor of the craft.

"Hold that ship," Boss shouted over the hum of the engine. He and Fixer walked up to it broadly. As Boss was about to board the ship, a short, stout, robed figure turned around. The being was an Aleen, an easily recognized species by their rough blue reptilian like skin and the extension to the back of his skull. Heavy wrinkles shrouded around his bulbous, harsh stare. The being was dressed in the traditional brown robes of the Jedi Order. Jedi Master Tsui Choi spoke in a heavily rasped guttural voice.

"Hold on there, Soldiers," he said with his hand outstretched at their chest. He was forced to look up in order to communicate with the tall Clone Commandos due to his species' natural height. "We need you here."

"But General, that's my man," Boss replied stiffly.

"I'm aware but as I said before," Tsui Choi paused. "We need you here." Boss glanced over the Jedi's low shoulder to see Scorch, sprawled on his back. His chest and armor plates had been removed along with his pack. Placed in between his legs at his ankles was his grey, white and yellow helmet. The Mandalorian 'T' bored in on him, sending him into a spiral of guilt.

"Sir what more do you need from us?" Fixer challenged. "The base is secure and the data is safe."

"Yes, but the Wookiees are not," Tsui Choi replied. "The Caaltuvac Guild is held as sacred to the Wookiees. If they were to be lost, the Republic may risk losing Kashyyyk's confidence. That my Clones, is far more vital than you wasting time in an Infirmary. I'm sorry." Boss' fists clenched, his jaw locked and he stared with hate at the small, blue Jedi.

"No I'm sorry," he snarled through grit teeth. Fixer glanced warningly over at his commander. "I'm sorry that I am forced to comply with another arrogant Jedi Son of a Bantha like you again! I already lost a man today because of it and I will not lose another!"

"Yes you will Soldier," Tsui Choi replied calmly. His reserve was strong as was most Jedi Masters; it really annoyed many of the Clones. "By standing here and arguing, you are holding up this ship and wasting precious time that your man doesn't have." Boss again glanced over at Scorch. It all then fell into place. He hadn't had any self awareness, a luxury never available in battle. He was shaking as he backed away from the LAAT. Fixer stood motionless just watching Boss with concern. He had never really seen Boss lose his temper like that, especially to a superior officer. Tsui Choi leaned back slightly in an attempt to appear less hostile. The LAAT began to steadily rise from the platform. "He will be safe, you have my word." The Jedi continued to watch the craft as it climbed in altitude. The two Commandos watched as the Gunship finally accelerated carrying Scorch away and leaving them behind. Before long, the LAAT was beyond their sight, engulfed in the bright orb of light that was Kashyyyk's sun. Fixer looked back at Boss. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Sir?" he asked carefully. Before he was able to continue, Boss cut him off.

"Go check on the Rugs," he said gloomily. He hadn't even bothered to turn and face his fellow Delta. Fixer didn't take it as an insult, only a sign that Boss wanted to be alone. The Commando strode back inside the base. Across the platform, Keilbourn had watched the whole thing. He saw Boss lose his temper with the Jedi, a sight Keilbourn never would have thought possible. After a while of standing isolated and alone, Boss reached up and unlocked the seal of his helmet, removing it from his head. Hesitantly and against his better judgment, the ARC walked up behind Boss. The Commando's head was drooped down at his feet. Keilbourn crept up next to him looking out over the treetops. The battle still raged below on the beach in the distance, but there on Tree Vikkilynn, it was content. "You know for an ARC, you're not half bad," Boss said. Keilbourn too removed his helmet, holding it at his side. He smirked fondly. In certain ways, Keilbourn was not like many other Alpha ARCs. He like all had the fierce killing instinct instilled in him by Jango Fett, though he wasn't one to engulf himself in its hateful manner. "I remember you from training," Boss continued finally looking over at the ARC beside him. "You would sometimes come in and take part in Walon Vau's exercises."

"Yeah well, the life of a bounty hunter sends one away at times," Keilbourn mused. To his surprise, Boss began to laugh; controlled and discreet.

"I remember one time you ambushed Sev and pinned him down." Boss began to laugh a little harder. "Boy was he pissed." Keilbourn hesitantly joined in on the laughter. Boss gradually got quieter until he was completely silent. Not even a single breath could be heard from him. The reminiscent memory of Sev threw him back to his guilty spiral.

"May I ask you something?" Keilbourn inquired.

"Can't promise I'll answer," Boss replied. Keilbourn looked long and hard at the veteran Commando.

"What happened to 07?"

Delta 07, also known as Sev, was the first to break away from the rest of the squad. Their mission had taken the Squad of Commandos to the far edge of the shoreline city of Kachirho, with a huge problem hovering above them all. The CIS had a cruiser stealing the energy and power of the city. It was Delta Squad's mission to destroy the ship. Sev emerged from the hallway and the rest of the squad and made his way to the edge of the balcony. He clipped his DC-17 to his ammo belt and with his two free hands cracked his knuckles protected by black gloves. There stationed before the red and white armored commando was a Wookiee manufactured Turbo laser. Sev stepped up and clasped the two firing handles. Even before the Delta could turn the handles to fire his first two lasers, the com silence was broken by their Clone Advisor, CC-01/425. Each squad of commandos was assigned an advisor who was stationed at times either in orbit, in the air or a command post on the ground.

"Okay 40, this one's yours," said the Advisor. Sev chuckled. He was amazed that the squad moved as fast as they did to the next turret station. Then again, Delta Squad was the best of the best. Sev aimed the turbo lasers at the cruiser and fired. The large green projectiles flew through the air and crashed into the ship. Once the turret recharged, he turned the handle again and fired the projectiles. After seven more shots the comm. broke again.

"Let's go 62 mount that turret," commanded the Advisor.

"I'm on it," replied Scorch in his cheery tone of the Clone's voice. Sev rolled his eyes. Scorch in Sev's mind had always been over enthusiastic for demolition. Sev was different. Sev preferred the more precise and discrete kill. He was, of course, the marksmen of Delta Squad. As Sev continuously turned the handles, more and more, green projectiles fired at the cruiser. He couldn't tell whether or not it made any affect on the vast ship, but that didn't matter. They just needed to take it down. Then finally the Advisor broke the silence again.

"38 get on that Turbo laser and take out that ship. Delta Squad, concentrate your fire on that target!" The four Commandos continued to fire barely listening to the Advisor. Finally the protective blue shields encasing and protecting the cruiser shimmered then faded away.

"Their shields are down Squad. Keep it up," commanded Boss over the comm. Sev was more relieved. The continuous hailing of plasma was actually achieving damage on the ship.

"This is going to work," thought Sev. The ship then started to shake up in the air.

"Scanners indicate the hull is weakening Delta Squad. We are coming in for a strafing run. Keep firing!"

_Finally, we're getting out of this jungle_, Sev said to himself.

"Target acquired, target locked missiles away!" The next thing that Sev heard was the sound of approaching Republic Gunships and the streaking of missiles. The blast nearly blinded the squad. The cruiser was heavily beaten and was still inflicting damage. But the repulsor lifts were still slightly functional keeping the ship in the air for the time being. Sev dismounted the turret and laughed.

"Nothing like a little precision teamwork Deltas," he said through the com link. Scorch was the one to reply to Sev's raw humor.

"And that was nothing like a little precision teamwork"

"Lose the Chatter Commandos, what now sir?" Fixer was always a little uptight. Like all other techies, he was a little stiff, 'by the book.' Boss keyed his com.

"Awaiting further instructions 40." Then a sound of struggle sounded behind Sev. He turned and grabbed his DC-17 and leveled it at the door that separated the balcony from the hallway. Then an explosion blew the door. Smoke clouded Sev's vision.

"Delta Squad, regroup at 38's position for exfil," said the advisor over the comm. But Sev wasn't paying attention. The smoke finally cleared to reveal a horrifying sight even for a commando. The CIS had located his positioned and mobilized against the lone commando. Sev opened fire and unleashed a hail of blue blaster fire.

"Boss I've got a problem here," yelled out Sev. He then fired another round of sustained blaster fire. The droids retaliated. Sev was faced by both normal battle droids and at least five Super Battle Droids. The Supers raised their arms simultaneously raised their arms and fired their wrist blasters.

"Sev where are you," demanded Boss over the comm. Sev could tell he was worried. And if Boss could see what Sev was faced with, he'd have good reason. Then this is where faulty gear really came in at the worst time.

"Sector-. Multip- hosti-." He knew that only part of his transmission went through. His comm was fine; it was only his microphone that was flawed. His squads chatter still rang in his ear. But he didn't have much of a chance to pay attention. He was firing his blaster at the droids. Through his comm. though he did hear that the squad wanted to come and help him. But the advisor wouldn't allow it.

"Negative, negative 38! New orders came from the Jedi Generals. Clear the area, evac now!" Just then another explosion sounded in the sky. The cruiser erupted in flames. The craft lost its repulsor lifts and the cruiser dropped from the sky. The ship had drifted directly over Sev's position and dropped on top of his position. The ship crashed into the platform and with the platform, fell ten droids and a helpless Commando. His fall was a blur but each communication that transmitted through his helmet was clear.

"I don't care if they came from Master Yoda himself," barked Boss

As a matter of fact, they **did** soldier! Now get your squad out of there!"

"Blast our orders! 40?" asked Scorch.

"He's right sir, we gotta evac."

"No! Sir, we have to go back," shouted Scorch.

"You heard advisor, we gotta mov-!"

Sev heard every word that was projected from his comm. link, until the seal on his helmet gave way and fell off of his head. Then everything went black.

Sev opened his eyes. But it made no difference. That's all that he could remember. Just twelve hours ago he was fighting side by side with Delta Squad. He knew exactly where he was. He was at ground zero, the floor of the jungle of Kashyyyk, the fabled Shadow Lands. Even the natives of the planet, Wookiees, feared to venture in the Shadow Lands. Down in the dense jungle, there was no sunlight, only darkness and fierce creatures. Even Sev knew that so he also knew that he had to get moving. When he was finally alert, he was able to assess his injuries. His leg was in bad shape even broken, and he could definitely tell his shoulder was dislocated. That would prove to be no problem, as a commando he could replace it himself. He also inflicted bruised ribs and a really bad headache. A cut continued to bleed that he received on his face while he fell through the trees. But he didn't realize his worst injury until he sat up. Sticking out of his leg was a large piece of metal that broke through his black under suit. He had no choice. He had to remove it on the spot with no medical support and with limited supplies.

Chapter 06

Down on the jungle floor of Kashyyyk, Sev sat upright leaning against a tree. His next experience was going to be excruciatingly painful. Sticking out of his leg was a large metal splinter that handicapped his mobility. If he was going to have any chance of survival, he needed to remove the intruder. The problem was that altogether it wasn't just one piece of metal. After removing the main shard, he would have to carefully and painfully remove the smaller pieces. The only supplies at his disposal were his Vibro-blade, some bandages, and a couple medium sized patches of Bacta. During the fall he lost his Kicker which would have been much more help and much less painful. All he had were two of the Bacta patches which were easily applied to wounds which only very slightly eased the pain and returned a small amount of his strength. Once he was positioned at the tree, he reached behind him and removed his tactical pack. Using only his muscle memory and navigating by feel, he removed the flap and found the bandages and Bacta patches. Sev activated the retractable Vibro-blade and turned off the vibration. He removed his chest plates so that he could be more flexible and removed his thigh plates that the shard had just barely missed. If the shard would have hit Sev only half an inch higher, he wouldn't of have had a problem. Yet any lower and the shard would have severed an artery. He would have bled out and died right there in the gloomy jungle. Sev gritted his teeth and took his non bladed hand and pushed his leg into the ground so he would have the cleanest pull that he could. With his bladed hand, he grabbed the shard and pulled it out in as straight of a line as he could. Once his leg was free of the biggest shard, he screamed in pain. His breathing was heavy and he thought he was going to faint from the pain. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of the agony that streaked through his mind.

"Come on Sev. You're a Commando for peat sakes!" His leg was shaking now and was out of control. He grabbed his leg again with his non bladed hand and shoved it into the ground to stop it from shaking. He then took his bladed hand and pointed the blade at the large gaping wound. He plunged the blade in his leg and started to dig out the splinters. Slowly and painfully but surly he was making progress.

"Oh if only Walon could see me now," said Sev in sarcasm. One by one he removed metal splinters. Once he was sure he had all of them. Sev reached into his open pack and retrieved the two Bacta patches. He took the first and folded it around his leg over the wound. After a span of five minutes, the pain eased slightly but it still hurt like hell. He did the same with the second and got the same result. After finishing his healing process, Sev found the bandages and started to dress his wound. He tied off the bandage and for the first time since his last moment with Delta Squad, he felt hope surge back into him. Then his hope was immediately shattered. Behind him hiding in the dense jungles only about forty feet away, was a loud, sharp shriek. Sev's head snapped to face the sound. He knew that he needed to bring his guard back up so he replaced his chest and thigh plates. He unclipped his DC-17 and aimed it towards the sound. He could just barely see the shape of bushes and tall trees. He barely was able to see the bushes and tall grass rustle. Finally the sound's source exploded out of the bushes, one of the many species of Kashyyyk known as a Terentatek. The creature was believed to be an evolved variant of the Rancor of Dathomir. The Terentatek had multiple venomous, sharp spines. The creature charged full speed at Sev on its four clawed legs. Sev stumbled backwards and unloaded a full clip on the creature but each brilliantly illuminated bolt just ricochet harmlessly off of the Terentatek's armored hide. Sev then while clutching onto his blaster rifle for dear life, turned and ran away as fast as he could. But with a badly hurt and painful leg, speed was not within his reach. Detail was no longer a luxury. However, Sev could at least see the outlines of tree roots and bushes. But like every skilled Commando he worked around it. Jumping, ducking, rolling and sprinting; anything to get away from the angry and hungry creature. He then realized he had to get higher. He had to climb to the upper levels if he had any hope of getting rescued. But first he had to get rid of the Terentatek chasing him. Then in the distance, he saw his silver lining. Just yards away from him, he could depict the entrance to a cave. As he came up to the entrance of the cave, he continued to run but was met by a combination of tree sap and a web from an arachnid like creature. He didn't bother with the sticky mess on his face. He kept running. When he was able to make out a corner that turned into another wall, he jumped and rolled into its cover. That's when he realized that the roll wasn't his best idea. His leg shot a streak of pain but he only gritted his teeth and fought through it. Quickly he reached for his belt and retrieved the Sniper rifle adaption for his DC-17. He removed the default components for the blaster and replaced them with the sniper components. But he found out that he was running very low on sniper ammo which made him even more uneasy. He already was down to less than half with his blaster ammo and had left his Anti-armor attachment in his pack back at the tree.

"Feirfek," swore the Commando. Once the attachments were secured and ready on the adaptable blaster, Sev took aim. The blue holographic sights that were projected from the casing of the rifle were very useful. He forgot that not only did they serve as a marksmen's kill HUD, the sights also had night vision capabilities. He was able to see the creature still charging at his position. Like every skilled hunter, Sev was able to depict the weak spot of the Terentatek. Common to the CIS Crab Droid, the eye of the beast was its weakest place. Sev carefully aimed his rifle at the beast and pulled the trigger. The blue beam streaked from his rifle and struck the monster in its left orange eye. The beast immediately stumbled over its own legs and collapsed to the ground. Sev didn't take any chances. He didn't want to run into anymore creatures, so he left the secure feeling of the cave and departed. Part of him wanted to go back for the rest of his gear, but he knew it would be a lost cause. His guess was that the Terentatek trampled over it with its monstrous claws. But again it was only a guess. But he knew his priority was to get higher up. Make it back towards more civilized life. He knew his best bet would be the Wookiees. The natives of the planet would without a doubt provide him hospitality. But again, he was going to have to climb if he even wanted a trace of the Wookiees.

Chapter 07

Even though he couldn't see it, he could feel it. Mist and jungle infested the very land that he dwelled in. Down in the Shadow Lands, there was no sun. No heat existed there, and Sev could feel it. He was freezing. If he could he would probably be able to see his breath. But the cold didn't affect him. He was forced to feel it by the breach in his black jumpsuit. But it was the last thing on his mind. Equipped in his belt, Sev had a 150 foot cable attached to a three pronged grapple hook. The grapple had the capacity to hold a large amount of weight. Before he threw it into the branches of a large tree, Sev held the tool up to his eyes and surveyed it. Its years of use had ran its toll and the teeth had started to become dull. But he had to make do with what he had. He threw the cable as hard and high as he could. The teeth bit into the wood of one of the many branches of the large trees. He then extracted his vibro blade and stabbed it into the trunk of the tree. He used the support of the blade to pull himself up and used the grapple to keep him steady. As he climbed higher, the cable would coil up back into the belt. Once the cable had only two feet of slack, Sev repositioned himself onto a branch and unhooked the grapple. On the branch that he stood on was more sap and a green slick slime of some sort. He could hardly see where he stood. His foot slipped out from under him. Sev stopped himself from plunging back down to the darkness by throwing the grappling hook blindly into the air. Once again the teeth of the hook bit into the wood. Sev stopped suddenly and dangled by the wire from his waist. After taking in everything that happened, he grabbed the cable and shifted his weight to swing towards the large tree. His vibro blade was still extracted as he stabbed it once again into the trunk to help keep him in place. He had lost about ten feet and was in the need to hurry. In his years of service, he learned that a Commando is always on a tight schedule.

Chapter 08

Slowly and stiffly, his fingers curled into a fist, which he then let go. The brightness of the room started to ease through his eyelids. The emptiness of silence also seized as the air filled with a chorus of pained groans. He finally relented, opening his eyes. His vision flared from being unaccustomed to the light and being shaded in darkness. As his eyes adjusted finally, he found himself looking up at a metal ceiling, equipped with large area lights.

"What…what happened?" An FX-9 Medical Droid strolled to his bedside. The column structured machine had many arms sticking out its torso area, below its glowing orange optical ring. In a digital voice it answered.

"Delta 62, blaster wound to the chest. Exactly 1 centimeter from the right atrium." Scorch looked up at the machine and grimaced. He was sick of droids, all droids.

"Get away from me!" the Commando growled as he kicked the Droid down. It dropped to its side, smashing vials of blue bacta which spilled on the metal floor. All around, Clones in various states of dress stared at the Commando pitifully as they lay sprawled on beds or sat up for a better view. A Clone Trooper in full armor entered the recovery room.

"Commando calm down!" he shouted as he rushed to Scorch's bed side. He looked down at the fidgeting droid on its side, with a large dent where Scorch's foot had kicked it. "It was only trying to help," the Clone medic said sternly. Scorch sat up on the side of his bed burying his head in his hands. It suddenly felt heavy and pounded hard.

"What happened? Where's my Squad?" Scorch demanded in a weak voice.

"You took one to the chest. Nearly hit your heart. An hour in the tank fixed you up just fine though." Scorch growled out of impatience. He stood up from his bed and roughly seized the Clone by the shoulders.

"Where's my Squad!" he demanded. The Clone struggled in Scorch's grip.

"Let go of me and I'll tell you," he yelled while trying to pry himself from the Delta's grip. Scorch released him. He glowered at the trooper as he approached a terminal at the end of the room. The Commando finally surveyed the room he was in. It wasn't his first time waking up in a Republic Mobile Surgical Unit, large two-story facilities that served as hospitals easily deployed on the battlefields. The room he was in was for recovering soldiers, whom had just received treatment for their wounds. Next door was the operating rooms, equipped with Bacta tanks and other extremely effective medical facilities. At the far end of those rooms, was triage. Scorch stood wearing only the legs of his black body glove. His feet were bare along with his upper body. His built form made the other bare Troopers look small and weak. On the upper right of his chest, a medium sized bandage stuck to him. The patch was laced with a Bacta solution to stabilize his wound. Few of the Troopers who had received rather minor injuries couldn't stop staring at Scorch's burn scarred face. He gave them no mind, though if the Clone Medic didn't hurry up, he was going to smash the terminal with his face. After a while the Trooper turned to face the Commando. "Command Net says Delta Squad has been ordered off planet by General Yoda," the medic answered. Scorch's nostrils flared as he breathed deeply.

"What!" he cried out. "How could they! They were just going to leave me here!" Scorch needed to break something. Whatever little control he once had after leaving Kachirho the first time was now gone. He was livid. Before he was just mad with the Jedi Generals but now he felt worse, he felt betrayed. Boss and Fixer in his mind were beginning to fall into a vile habit of abandoning their brothers. Fine then, he was done. Delta was no longer what it once was and now he wanted no part of it. The Republic in general had become backstabbing users. Now only one thing mattered to him and last he knew Sev was back at the ruins of the far edge of Kachirho. "Where's my gear?" Scorch finally asked. The Clone Medic eyed the Commando carefully through his helmet.

"Patient Storage upstairs," he replied. Scorch turned and strode away without another word. Before reaching the door of the recovery room, the Medic called out harshly. "Hey Authorized Personnel only!" As he turned down the hall, Scorch raised his arm and directed an insulting obscene hand gesture.

Finding the Patient Storage room wasn't hard. There was hardly any security; besides, no one wanted to challenge a Commando. Within minutes, Scorch was fully armored in his own Katarn armor, detailed with grey and yellow over the traditional white plates. A small whole and scorch mark was burned on the right of his chest plate. What he intended to do next was simple; he was just going to walk away. After climbing back down to the lower level, he strode out of the entrance and onto the sand of the beach. The RMSUs, purification atmosphere had cleaned away all of the outside sounds and odors. As he left the protective bubble, the thunder of battle seemed just a mile away, contending with the roar of the sea. The RMSU was deployed up on the hill of the beach, yards away from the vicious shoreline. The salty air was cool and felt refreshing in the tropical heat of the planet. Across the cove of water, the land bended back into view. Plumes of black smoke billowed in the distance. Knowing the beach across the way was their staging point, Scorch smirked at the feebleness of the CIS' attempts against the firm military of the Grand Republic. Since then, the battle had been taken back to the far right wing of the beach. Scorch knew he was no longer in Kachirho necessarily, though he was still on the same island of Wawaatt Archipelago at least. Suddenly the hum of a LAAT reached his ear over the other sounds of the beach front. The Commando glanced up despite the burning sun and saw the Gunship descend. Within seconds the craft had landed before the entrance of the RMSU. Onboard the LAAT Gunship, eight Clone Troopers stood heavily armed. Few carried the massive PLX-1 Missile Launcher, the Republic's most effective personal ordinance equipment. Strapped to their backs were DC-15As. Scorch nearly laughed, watching these regular white-jobs equipping themselves in such a manner. One Trooper stood out from the others encased in white armor. His plating was colored in a heavy green camouflage to help blend into Kashyyyk's lush atmosphere. He was a Scout Trooper of the 41st Elite Corps, the Republic's primary force for the Kashyyyk's taskforce. Cradled in his arms too was a DC-15S. The Trooper stepped off the Gunship then was followed by two others, carrying another of the 41st on a stretcher. Squarely on his right temple, a blaster wound sizzled.

"What happened to him?" Scorch asked.

"Clanker got a lucky shot as we piled out of a Juggernaut," the Scout said grimly as he watched his comrade get carried away. His gaze then snapped back at the Commando before him. "You RC-1262?" Scorch eyed him suspiciously.

"Why," he asked.

"We're short a man and we've got this demo job to do back in Grunnrurr," the Scout said. "CC-01/425 referred you to us." Upon hearing the Advisor's serial designation, Scorch lowered his hostility against the Scout.

"Why do you need me?" he asked.

"That man back there," the Scout said while pointing back into the RMSU. "He was a fine Demo Clone, and I hear you're pretty good."

Scorch looked down at the Trooper again.

"You heard right."

"Oh for the love of- Will you get on board already!" yelled one of the Troopers carrying a PLX-1.

"He's right we gotta move," The Scout remarked as the two other Clones returned from the RMSU and clambered on board. Scorch contemplated for a bit. If he refused, he would basically be going against orders, and would officially be AWOL.

_Oh well, at least I got a ride back to kachirho,_ he thought. "Alright let's go," Scorch said. He stepped on board following the Scout.

"By the way, I'm Lieutenant Aro."

"Scorch," the Commando responded.

"Well Scorch, just don't screw this up."

Chapter 09

Eyeing the BARC Speeder strapped down in the rear of the LAAT's cargo floor, Scorch had no intention to actually take part in any more objectives for the Republic. Upon boarding the gunship, he was greeted by a familiar presence.

"Delta 62, nice to see your okay," said Clone Advisor 01/425. The Clone communicated through Scorch's comlink in his helmet. The Advisor had been assigned to coordinating Delta Squad throughout the entirety of the war. It was slightly comforting to the Commando.

"Good to hear from you Advisor," he replied.

"Well let me fill you in." At this point, Scorch was making his move. He moved to the cockpit's entrance and sat on some crates off to the side. Discreetly with his back away from the others, he reached back into his pack and expertly worked a handheld demo charge. The Advisor continued to debrief Scorch. "Early before the Invasion, the CIS had previously deployed forces into numerous cities here on Wawaatt Archipelago. They came via C9969 Landing Crafts which have now been hidden from our view so an airstrike is a no go. Previous recon has informed us that only two of the four that have landed have deployed their MTTs. The rest are reserves. Those troops could possibly turn the battle to their favor."

"Is there a vital point?" Scorch asked, mustering as much curiosity as he could pretend. From behind, Scorch prepared the final settings for the hidden demo charge.

"At this time we only have one suggestion, and that's the ammo cache in between the two crafts. A well placed demo charge would set it off and may take out the crafts."

"May? We're going to storm into the middle of a CIS camp with a 'may'!" One of the troopers exclaimed.

"What a chizk strategy," another swore.

"What's wrong Shinie?" Scorch mused. "Scared of a few Clankers?" The Trooper glowered at the Commando. Finally Scorch received the distraction he needed. Artillery explosions shook the hull of the LAAT, covering the sudden thud of the charge falling behind the crate. He then casually made his way to the other end of the LAAT.

"Advisor we'll observe for a better target before insertion," Lieutenant Aro replied. As the artillery's volume intensified, Scorch made his play. He quickly hit the hatch at the rear of the craft. It opened freely, the gust of air coursed through the craft's open hatch. The Troopers' outcries were canceled out by the outside explosions. Scorch mounted the BARC speeder quickly and severed the straps with his vibro-blade.

"Feirfek, they hit the wing!" Scorch bellowed into his coming. The Commando then kicked off on the floor, sending the BARC speeder overboard through the hatch. Still holding on to the handles, he grabbed the remote detonator from his belt, and pressed down on the red button. As the Commando dropped in a free fall mounted on the speeder, the perfectly functioning LAAT Gunship exploded. The ball of red flame filled the pale sky, raining hot metal and debris down on the green canopy. The Commando kicked on the repulsor engine. The speeder gunned into life as the Commando reached the canopy of the forest. Scorch pressed a control on the speeder, activating the environmental map. He found he was close to Grunnrurr which was just miles to the East of Kachirho. Scorch accelerated down the canopy after banking sharply down west.

Chapter 10

It was dark. But slowly and surely, it was getting lighter. However, with every inch that Sev climbed, his arms would ache even more. His grapple recoiled back into his belt. He knew that only five more feet, and he would find it. His least favorite part was having to move his gloved hand around the trunk of the tree to search for the grapple. The black covering that served as his gloves were starting to tear by the many times that the grapple's teeth would dig into the black fabric and cut into his fingers. His blood started to trickle down his hand. But he didn't care. He was a Commando. Not some average White job. Commandos had higher skill levels and tolerability than the normal Clone Trooper. He had been climbing and scaling the tree for what he thought to be twelve hours. Once there was hardly any lax to the cable, he started to search for the grapple. As he stared at the vast trunk searching for the grapple he swept his sore hands on the tree, he noticed a small amount of light. Not enough to navigate or spot a grappling hook with, but the atmosphere was slightly lighter. That's when he knew that he was at the highest section of the Shadow Lands. Only an hour of climbing at his pace, and he would be out and into the beginning of the friendlier jungle. This discovery energized him and made him feel like his effort and work was paying off. He couldn't wait to see his pod brothers again. He was sure that they were still on the same planet. Thinking of Delta Squad energized him even more. He thought about them wondering what they were doing at that very moment. Boss was probably just making sure Scorch didn't get into any trouble. Scorch was probably telling one of his stupid jokes and Fixer was tinkering around with some techie nonsense. That was Sev's drive. For him to complete the last hour or more of climbing, He would have to focus on his thoughts of Delta Squad. His thoughts were then suddenly interrupted by a slight pain in his hand. He had found the grappling hook. But he found it the hard way. His fingers were bleeding again. At this point, the fabric had been completely torn away by the sharp teeth. He lifted his hand up to his cracked dry mouth. He sucked the blood then spewed back to the ground. Although he hadn't had anything to drink in hours, blood was definitely not what he was looking for. He grabbed the grapple then with the same hand pulled the cable out of his belt. He then tossed the grapple into the air. The teeth of the metal three pronged contraption dug into the wooden trunk. Once again he started his climb. He retrieved the thoughts of his Squad again and used it to help him climb the tree. With every stab of the vibro blade into the trunk, he felt them getting closer.

Chapter 11

The LAAT zoomed through the orange sky, climbing higher and higher. Inside was only silence from the only two passengers onboard. There was nothing that could comfort Delta Squad's burning anger. Boss couldn't stand still, pacing the cargo floor as Fixer sat on a crate.

"Something isn't right," Fixer shot grimly. His usual resolve had been compromised after the Advisor had radioed in with their new orders. Boss had argued the exfil strongly and with even stronger language. Once again the Advisor's dispute was the source of the order, General Yoda. Boss was sick of him, and all Jedi for that matter. Boss was about to reply to the Commando's observation when the holograph projector installed on the floor flickered to life. Standing in the blue haze was the image of a Clone Trooper encased in Phase 2 armor. The change in tone along the trooper's shoulders and helmet suggested colored detailing.

"Delta, this is Commander Tyval," the projection said.

"What is it Advisor," Boss asked curtly. Fixer too listened intently.

"38," the Advisor said hesitantly, pausing with great caution. "38, this is not easy for either of us."

"Spit it out Advisor!" Boss snapped. Fixer glanced over at his commander; his brown eyes fixed on him suspiciously. He was starting to wonder if the Commando was even the same person anymore.

"Delta 62 is KIA." Boss straightened his back. His dark eyes suddenly went empty. His chest began to ache as he found himself without breath. Fixer stood up from the crate and approached the projection.

"What was that?" he asked; his voice mounted in aggression as his brow narrowed.

"Delta 62 was tasked to a small strike force to destroy a CIS camp. Unfortunately, their Gunship was shot down by artillery. I'm sorry," Advisor added with sentiment. Boss had turned away from the projection and now stared down at his feet. In the back, Fixer swore, lobbing his helmet into the wall of the cargo floor while Boss felt the trap of grief close in on him. All within one day, he'd lost two of his men. The idea of losing Sev to him was tragic, now the tragedy had doubled and so had the aching feeling it left in his heart. It was at this point, he wished he was numb. "I'm sorry, and I wish the best." The image flickered away and the slight illumination from the projection was extinguished. Nearly a minute of silence and darkness filled the cargo floor.

_This is what I get, for trusting a Jedi. _

The intercom of the Gunship then sounded through the cargo floor.

"Commandos I'm getting another transmission on the link," the pilot interjected. Without a reply from the grief stricken Commandos, the pilot patched the link through. Shortly after, a new image appeared; a Clone still encased in Phase 1 armor. Boss knew very few that hadn't upgraded to the Phase 2 armor. Being one that hardly saw any action and served on a logistical end, Clone Advisor 01/425 was one of them.

"Delta Squad, come in Delta Squad," Advisor called out. Boss' relief of a familiar face pulled him out of complete isolation.

"Advisor, good to hear from you," he said half-heartedly. His message lacked support from both his face and his posture. His usually rigid stature lacked the dignity and pride he normally showed as a badge of honor.

"The feeling is mutual, though I wish it was under better circumstances." Advisor paused and sighed deeply. "Delta I-"

"We know about 62," Boss interrupted, finally lifting his eyes to make contact with the black visor of Advisor's helmet. Advisor stared at Boss intently.

"What do you know exactly?"

"Their Larty got shot down," Boss said bitterly. "Not much more to it." Advisor eyed Boss carefully as if he was trying to decide whether or not to tell him.

"There is more to it." Slowly, Boss raised his gaze from the floor to the projection. "I handled logistics for their op. But I've yet to file the report. Everyone's vitals went down by the explosion, except one." Boss suddenly grew excited.

"Scorch's?" he asked with a longing curiosity.

"His vitals went down nearly five minutes later," Advisor replied. Fixer stepped up with his arms folded skeptically.

"That could mean nothing," he retorted. "For all we know he jumped and…well," Fixer grumbled.

"40's right but I just thought you should know," Advisor said.

"No," Boss said stiffly. "Something's going on."

"I came to you before filing the report because if 62 is behind this, well let's just say it'll be a sad waste of a valuable military asset," Advisor said sincerely.

"What can we do though?" Fixer said coarsely. "We've been ordered off planet," he added sarcastically. Advisor glanced over at the Delta.

"Haven't you heard Deltas? There's been a contingency; General Yoda is now a wanted fugitive. His orders are now ineffective." Boss turned to Fixer making contact with his eyes. He then turned back to the projection.

"Thank you Advisor," he said impatiently. "We'll be in touch." The projection flickered off; diming the atmosphere of the floor again, yet leaving a glow of hope within the Commandos.

"Sir, do you think?" Fixer asked anxiously.

"Fixer if he is, then there's only one place he'll be." Boss stepped up to the cockpit and opened the hatch, leaning closer to the pilot's chair. "Pilot, take us to Kachirho."

Chapter 12

Delta 07 was close to the end of his journey. He could start to see small details that he wouldn't of have seen hours ago. He dug his vibro blade into the tree and used his strength to pull himself up. Using his other hand he climbed even higher. He didn't know what good it would do to look up. It was still too dark to see the sun, but he did anyway. A little farther up he saw, which was at the time, the greatest thing he could ever have seen. The dim, slight glow of what his mentor Walon Vau called the 'Mandalorian T' barely shimmered like a beacon of hope. Second only to the DC-17 blaster, the most important piece of equipment was stuck in between a web of branches.

"Finally something is going my way!" said the breathless Commando out loud. The sight of his beloved helmet made him quicken the pace of his climbing. Sev grabbed a branch that protruded at the level that held his helmet. He climbed onto the large branch and slowly shuffled towards what appeared to be a nest, constructed from a collaboration of sticks and vegetation. Suddenly a furry creature brushed pass his armored leg. Sev's head snapped rapidly to look down. The small creature stared at him with bulbous black eyes from a small, flat pink face surrounded by blue hair. He pressed his small ears up against the Commando's leg and with his small, bare, white fist, knocked on the armored leg.

"Well, look at you," laughed Sev. "You're a curious little fella aren't you?" Sev looked up from the creature and back towards the nest. To his surprise, he saw more of the little monkey-like species known as Tachs. "And it seems you have friends." Sev edged closer towards the nest, stretching for his helmet. The Tachs seemed to be attracted to the shininess of Sev's white helmet with red splatters. Delta squad all had different designs on their white armor. Sev's red design held a gruesome resemblance of blood splatters; even Boss couldn't tell if Sev had actually used paint. Sev reached for the helmet with his cut, gloved hand. One Tach's small gaze traced Sev's hand. As his fingers got closer, it understood his intention and bit Sev with its tiny yet sharp teeth. Sev retracted his hand. "Ow, you little- Ow!" He was interrupted by another attack from another Tach. Like a small furry army, they all swarmed at the large Commando, emitting an annoying chorus of high-pitched yelps. Sev grabbed them two at a time and flung them over the edge, but there were still at least six of them attacking his body. Sev struggled aggressively and lost his balance. Before he fell off of the branch, his fingers wrapped around the rim of his helmet. Keeping Sev from falling once again to the depths of the Shadow lands were the thin sticks that acted as a web, trapping the helmet. But Sev's weight was too much. The branches snapped, freeing the helmet and extremely aggravated Commando. He fell through the air and mist. The Tachs all lost their grip of him and fell to the ground of the Shadow Lands. Sev then slammed on a vast branch. His back streaked with a small amount of pain. He sat up as if he was waking up from a sore nights rest. "Stupid monkeys," grunted Sev. He then slid his helmet back over his head, dreading the possibility of the Tach's ruining its functions. "I swear, if any of those little chizks broke my gear, I'll climb back down there and shoot their shebs off!" he grumbled. His heart skipped a beat. The HUD flickered to life, providing Sev with night vision and all the other goodies all Commandos loved. His only hope was that the communications would work. He keyed his comm.

"This is Delta 07 is anybody there, can you read me?" Static was his only reply. Then he adjusted to the Squad's personal comm. channel.

"Boss, Fixer, Scorch, it's me Sev. Is anybody there?" Again Sev got nothing. "Feirfek," he swore as he cut the comm. According to his topical map, he was less than 150 feet away from the closest Wookiee civilization.

Chapter 13

The entire galaxy was witness to the swift and cruel actions of the Grand Army of the Republic. Far away from the thick jungles of Kashyyyk, Courascaunt's vibrant night life of endless traffic weaved between the heightless skyscrapers. In the midst of the wondrous city, a great evil emerged from its shadows and extended its reach, manipulating all around it. The Contingency, Order 66 had been given to Clone Commanders all across the galaxy. On battlefields everywhere, the once great Jedi were being gunned down by the very Clones they'd served by through the last four terrible war-stained years. Though few dared to outwardly question the order, not all Troopers executed without hesitation. One such Trooper was Keilbourn. Just a half hour ago, the ARC had been delegated the task to hunt down one of the few Jedi Generals stationed on Kashyyyk. Intelligence officers supplied him with necessary information; though no matter what they said, something just didn't feel right. Keilbourn owed his life to the Jedi countless times, now they were guilty of treason? It just didn't ring for the ARC. Nevertheless, he was ready to carry it out. That was until minutes ago when he had Jedi-General Quinlan Vos in his crosshairs, posed broadly and unaware on the deck of the massive A6 Juggernaut. The ARC was just easing on the trigger before the entire vehicle exploded, incinerating the Jedi. The Juggernaut beside the Jedi's craft's cannons were smoking, aimed directly at the smoldering wreckage of the massive ten wheeled tank. Keilbourn lay at his perch, watching through his scope as the fiery remains caught to the thick jungle surrounding them. At first, he'd just felt uneasy about the idea of hunting Jedi, though after witnessing it, his mind was made up.

The ARC was merely steps away from the hidden hanger bay before his personal communicator rang. He was done with the Republic, ready to walk away and pick up on a new life. It would be rough, though he was accustomed as an ARC for solo, undercover experiences. Keilbourn keyed in the pass-code on the terminal next to the door. The terminal released the hatch as the ARC reached back for his communicator. Landed on the ledge of the large hanger was his personally restored NR2-Gully Jumper. Before reaching the entry ramp, he activated the handheld device. Keilbourn removed his helmet as the blue hologram projection hovered above the round device. To his surprise, an image from the shoulders up of Sergeant Walon Vau looked up at him.

"Sergeant Vau, what a pleasure," Keilbourn greeted him warmly. "I must say it's quite a surprise."

"I'm sorry Keilbourn but the small talk will have to wait," the Mandalorian trainer said stiffly. "Though it is good to see you," he added with a grin. Keilbourn couldn't help himself. He needed perspective from another world.

"Sir what is going on? We've been ordered to kill Jedi," he asked impatiently. Vau waved away his question with equal impatience.

"I'm sorry but there's no time for that," he said. "Keilbourn, I need your help." Keilbourn straightened up before the projection.

"What can I do for you Sir?" Walon grinned again at the ARC.

"Are you familiar with Delta Squad?" Vau asked.

"Very," Keilbourn answered.

"Delta-07, Sev, has gone MIA back in Kachirho. Delta was forced to pull out before they could go back for him."

"I'm aware Sir," Keilbourn cut in. Vau's eyes grew in surprise at the ARC.

"Well, it's a mutual belief between the Squad and myself that Sev is still out there. I would go out myself, but I'm currently assisting Sergeant Skirata in some," he paused carefully. "Some business," he finished. The trainer's explanation seemed suspicious to the ARC, but who was he to question the Mandalorian. "Keilbourn I need you to go out and find him, at least go and look." Vau's face was stiff yet his eyes told a different story, a reflection of grief.

"What if I find him?" Keilbourn inquired. Though his gut told him to walk right up the ramp of his ship and leave Kashyyyk behind, his sense of duty and care for the Mandalorian outweighed his own desires. Relieved Vau stared at him sternly through the blue haze of the hologram.

"Follow these instructions exactly."

Chapter 12

As he plunged his vibro-blade into the bottom of the wood platform, Sev felt anxious. He was ready to regroup with Delta Squad. With his other hand, he grasped the metal scaffolding. He was finished with climbing the actual tree. Now he just needed to climb the platform. Waiting on the floor of the platform was a small village, his key back to his brothers. As his legs dangled freely in the air, the excited commando stabbed his vibro into the platform. Only about five more reaches and he would be at the edge of the platform and pulling himself onto solid ground. Finally once he came to the edge he used his fingers and wrapped them around the platform. Suddenly a large, brown and hairy hand reached down and grabbed Sev's wrist. The creature was obviously very strong. It had to be to lift Sev and his heavy Katarn armor. Sev recognized the profile of the Kashyyyk native, Wookiees. His whole body was lifted from under the platform. Once he was face to face with the Wookiee, it stared at him with its golden, yellow eyes. As Sev looked into them, he saw sadness, then with a sudden flash, anger. The fearsome warrior roared into Sev's helmeted face. The Wookiee then threw Sev into the closest wooden building. For the past hours, Sev had completely forgotten about his leg injury, but his collision into the building had created a new streak of agony. The angry Wookiee slowly moved closer to the fallen Commando. It leveled its Bowcaster at him and was ready to fire. It was all happening to fast. The confusion was blinding to the dazed Commando. Suddenly, three Clone Troopers came around the corner of a building, firing their DC-15As. Blue bolts streaked from their blasters and hit the Wookiee warrior. The creature took many of the deadly rounds before finally falling at the Clones' feet. Sev sighed deeply. One clone came up to Sev while the other two checked to make sure the Wookiee was dead.

"You alright Sir?"

"Just fine. What the hell was that all about?"

"There's a bit of a problem with the natives." Sev's head spun in confusion. The Wookiees had been allies with the Republic for some time.

"What exactly happened Trooper," asked Sev with a grave voice. He stood up and stepped up closer to the Clone. Even the Trooper knew he was serious.

"We're going through a bit of reorganization," he said carefully. "Sorry sir, it's classified. Even I don't understand exactly."

"It's understood Trooper. What's our current objective?" The Clone seemed to have been given a boost of excitement from this question.

"Find and terminate General Yoda. I hear the trooper to do it gets an open tab at Triple Zero Barracks," the Clone said excitedly. If he wasn't wearing the helmet, Sev would have given away too much. He and his squad never really cared much for the Jedi, but even he knew something wasn't right. But he had to keep an act going, just flow with it until he could regroup with Delta Squad.

"Sounds good," he said. "But if I'm hunting Jedi, I'm gonna need some new equipment," Sev said grimly. As the Troopers led him away from the edge of civilization and the dead body of the Wookiee warrior, the Commando thought over his situation. A difficult choice faced him. If he finds Yoda, will he take the shot?

Chapter 13

Somewhere, deep down far below in the vast gaping chasm of darkness, in the thick, dense, jungle, was Scorch's pod-brother. He knew without a doubt, he could feel it. Echoes of the past rang in his mind.

"_Sector-. Multip- hosti-."_

"_Lost his signal Boss."_

"_Well find it again dammit! Squad, regroup. We're going after Sev."_

They didn't though. They left him there to die. As Scorch peered into the massive crater, he thought of how he would never be able to forgive himself. Scorch clipped his DC-17 to his belt as he worked his communications link.

"Sev, Sev do you read me? Its Scorch do you read me?" Nothing but static replied to the Commando's desperate attempt. That wasn't going to stop him though. Suddenly, Scorch heard the pound of footsteps on the wooden platform. From behind the door opened. The Commando quickly drew his DC-15s sidearm as he spun to identify the approaching force. To his surprise and joy, he found two other Commandos emerge through the doorway, one with orange detailing and the other in green.

"Boss, Fixer!" he cried out in joy. Fixer stood back while Boss charged forward. In a blur of movement, the Delta Commander slugged him in the stomach. Scorch keeled over from the blow, groaning as Boss followed through, trapping him in a hold by the neck.

"What the hell is wrong with you Scorch?" Boss bellowed from behind. Fixer approached, watching with his arms folded as Boss dealt out his punishment. "You destroyed a Larty full of Troops and then go AWOL?"

"Feirfek 62, what were you thinking?" Fixer insisted. Now struggling for air, Boss released him. The Commando dropped to his hands and knees gasping and wheezing.

"I thought you left," Scorch choked out as he attempted to speak again.

"Scorch," Boss said. He lowered into a crouch, facing the Commando eye to eye. His voice dropped low and softened. "Do you have any idea what you put us through?" he demanded. Scorch looked right back at him as he reached up to pull away his helmet. His deep, brown eyes bore into Boss' visor which provided a reflection of his scars.

"It's only fair," he said gravely. "Now you know how I feel."

"Quit acting like you're the only one that cares 62," Fixer barked.

"If you did, you'd have done the right thing," Scorch shot back. He glared into Fixer's visor, piercing right through to his eye. Boss helped Scorch back to his feet.

"We don't have time for this Commando," Fixer snapped back. "We're going to be in deep with the Republic if we don't exfil right now." Scorch looked away from Fixer and back into the chasm of broken wood and smashed branches.

"I can't go on without knowing," Scorch said softly. Fixer watched him. Boss too looked down into the vast crater.

"Neither can I," he replied. He then looked back at Fixer who shifted uncomfortably. "And neither can you."

Chapter 14

Fixer thought he could hear the vast, broken branches creaking unstably over the hum of the LAAT's engines. Slowly, the Gunship descended through the vast, jungle dense levels of Kashyyyk's forest. The Commando was sure to go slow, allowing Boss and Scorch to keep an eye out for any clue of their pod-brother. As they lowered the craft easily down the levels of the thick jungle, Boss could imagine Sev possibly falling helplessly.

"Sir for all we know, Sev could have grabbed onto one of these ledges." Fixer indicated the broken wooden and metal that made the vast crater look like the mouth of a Sarlaac.

"No, I don't think so," Boss answered over their comlink. "If he had he'd have linked with friendly forces long ago." The further they plunged, the darker it got. Boss flicked on his Night vision and Scorch did the same. Fixer switched on the gunships massive searchlights, which beamed out front, allowing him a better view. Soon the Wookiee's wooden workmanship turned into natural branches. The Commandos were now entering the Shadow Lands.

The forest wasn't quiet, even though it was almost night time. Nocturnal insects the size of your hand buzzed about and strange creatures noisily stalked their prey. Then the bushes and branches parted to reveal a white armored figure with red blots messily slashed for detail. The metal material of the armor was scratched and the reflective blue T was cracked. Sev held his DC-17 with the sniper attachment at the ready. Behind him were nine other Clone Troopers. Sev and the others had switched to night vision on their HUDs. To anyone outside of their armor, they were silent. Sev was leading the men by a comlink on a mission to execute General Yoda.

"Just look for a hint of green, said one of the Clones."

"In case you haven't noticed Sgt, we are surrounded by green, Sev remarked." Unlike the men he led he was not enthusiastic about the hunt. Sev was much more determined on finding the Deltas. After being saved from the Wookiee, Sev was taken to a Republic outpost. He received fast Medical treatment and discovered that Delta Squad had left Kashyyyk for Corascaunt during the course of the battle. Sev knew how he was going to handle this. He figured out his operation like he Boss, Fixer and Scorch would figure out Walon's training scenarios. He would play along with the Clones and help them find Yoda. After that was done, he would demand R and R and transfer to Corascaunt and follow Delta's footsteps. The procession of Troopers advanced in a tight group, each one scanning the forest. Then it happened. Sev's superior senses heard a crash in the bushes not too far away. He seemed to be the only one to hear it since he was the only one to react to it.

"You guys stay back, I'm gonna check something out." One of the Clones near the rear of the formation lowered his blaster and looked at the strange Commando.

"Why, that makes no sense. Besides, Yoda's the best; it'll take all of us to kill him."

"Trooper, obey my orders or I will take you out of commission myself," Sev growled. The Clone fell into silence. "Now stay here." The Clone required no further encouragement. He went quiet, and Sev advanced through the large brush. The predator in him kicked in, he got low and nearly was invisible. Sev being a hunter felt he was in his element. He had a lock on a possible target and took no hesitation to act on it. With the others bunkered down behind him and out of his way, Sev disappeared, rifle raised and ready.

It had grown dark as night crept in on Keilbourn. Not knowing much about Sev's last location, he investigated his only lead. On the edge of the city of Kachirho, a crude Republic outpost had been erected. The last thing he wanted was to be around Republic forces at the moment as he still desired defection. He had been given an update on planetary activity by fellow troopers, but when asked if they'd seen a Commando wandering around, each time the answer was no. The ARC didn't know much. He knew only that the commando known as Delta 07 or Sev was last found on the edge of Kachirho just miles away. As he stood in the control tower of the command post, Keilbourn considered many options. The Commando could be on the ground floor dead or wounded. He could be alive and had regrouped with friendlies, which would probably have taken him off planet. This seemed highly likely, but if it were the case, other Clones would have seen him. The last option was the Commando was still finding his way back. Other than death, this seemed the most logical. As he climbed back down the tower another lead hit him, Medical records. For all he knew, he'd gotten unlucky answers from the wrong Clones. Keilbourn founded the crude infirmary and approached a corpsman posted there.

"Trooper, I need to see your medical treatment records," Keilbourn demanded.

"Are you kidding me?" the Clone balked sarcastically. "Take a look around ARC," the Trooper said waving about the station's poor appearance. Bacta jars were strewn about the area, crates, stacked lazily and debris cluttered the space. "Not exactly organized now are we?" the Clone scoffed. Keilbourn ignored the insubordination, what did he care, he was leaving.

"Well then how about you," Keilbourn inquired gravely. "I'm looking for someone, a Commando wearing blood-stained armor, seen him?" The trooper paused and thought for a second.

"Oh," he cried out. "As a matter of fact I did. He came in with a messed up leg, took care of him in minutes."

"Where is he?" Keilbourn demanded.

"Took a platoon and headed out south. You just missed him about ten minutes ago," the Clone answered.

Chapter 15

After descending in the LAAT Gunship for a long stretch of time, the three Deltas, had reached their destination. Fixer let the gunship down in the only available clearing. The three Commandos then stepped off the metal of the craft and onto the thick jungle floor. The humidity emitted heavy, humid natural fumes. Without moving, Scorch, Fixer and Boss assessed the dark dismal environment. Scorch broke formation first; advancing, low and ready to pounce. Fixer followed suit as he took steps forward and scanned their right flank. Boss stood still, scanning the area in front of them. Not much could be seen in the enveloping darkness. He finally advanced. With as much volume as he could muster, Boss called out.

"Sev!" there was no answer. The others followed his lead and cried out their brother's name. The crater created by the downed CIS cruiser was far too great for them to cover. All around them, evidence of its wreckage scattered the jungle. As a coordinated body, the three advanced forward, still calling out. By now, their time was ticking away. Boss was unwilling to defy their relocation orders for more than an hour before they had to abandon their search. After advancing and searching for another for minutes, Boss was ready to accept the inevitable, until an outburst seized his attention.

"Sir come quick!" Fixer blurted. Boss took off at a run, Scorch close behind. After bending around a vast tree, they could see Fixer, crouched on the ground holding up an object with his free hand. It was white and looked severely damaged, like it was smashed. After inspecting it for a while, Boss' eyes darted from the survival pack on Fixer's back, to the crumpled object. Without a doubt, they were identical. There was only one explanation for a Commando's survival pack finding its way down here and the identification decaled on the back reading 07 was all he needed to confirm it.

"Alright boys, don't get excited just yet, this only says he was here," Boss wasn't able to finish due to a sudden outburst from Scorch.

"Boss over here!" Boss turned to see Scorch holding up a large shard of metal. Coating the jagged tip was undoubtedly, dried blood. Boss examined the jagged metal shard with a sickening feeling. By the depth of the stain, depending on where the wound was, Sev was probably dead.

"It doesn't look good Scorch," Boss said grimly, shaking his head as he stood back up.

"Hey Deltas, check this out," Fixer called back. Just a ways down in the darkness before them, Fixer was crouched next to a large clumped mass. The Deltas gathered around him who was waving them over.

"Blaster bolts!" Scorch exclaimed. "This thing's huge."

"It's dead?" Boss inquired.

"Yep, but look at this." Fixer pointed to the eye of the large creature, it was shot out with a trail of orange blood oozing down its socket. He then indicated with his finger a precise hole blasted out the back of the head. Boss knew only a highly skilled marksmen, with Sev's talent could have made that shot. In his mind he played it all out. The creature was after its target, which had taken a sniping perch not far away from them. Scorch took off down through the darkness.

"Scorch wait up!" Boss called out before charging after him. Soon, the formation of a cave came to his sight. Scorch had reached the cave and stormed inside.

"Sev, Sev!" only the commandos' own voice echoed through the cave. Scorch felt teased, hearing the voice of Jango Fett's clones; his voice, Sev's voice. Boss approached him from behind. He placed his hand gingerly on the sulking Commando's shoulder.

"Our time's up Scorch. There's nothing more we can do," Boss sighed. Scorch shuddered, he knew this as much as the rest of them. Without speaking, Scorch walked back. Boss followed keeping his eyes on his silent brother. In his mind, Boss was fighting the controversy. They had orders and as a Commando in the Grand Army of the Republic, he was obliged to follow them, though calling it quits was difficult. In his conscience realized he had to be rational, he had to move on and accept the truth. Out loud for all to hear in an attempt to convince even himself, Boss told declared, Sev was dead.

Chapter 16

With the complete cover of darkness, Sev's hunt was now far more exhilarating. He relished every aspect of its activity, the darkness, the sounds of the jungle and the surrounding vegetation. His breathing was calm as he advanced. He was in a brush, edging an open area that served as a road through Kashyyyk's vast jungle. He stayed low, if he was right, whatever made that commotion just seconds ago would be intercepted at this point. Out of the corner of his eye, two large bulks of mass stalked through the shadows. Sev grinned, it wasn't his target, but it could serve as a source of information. Sev keyed his comm.

"Trooper, no matter what, hold your position." The Clone just yards away replied with reluctance.

"…Affirmative." Sev left his cover, rounding behind the figures. Now close enough, he saw they were Wookiees. He jumped up onto the large form, holding the beast's throat by his forearm. With a growl, the Wookiee collapsed on its knees. Sev had to be careful, he'd witnessed before the great strength of a Wookiee. The other Wookiee turned at the sound of its companion's struggle. It raised its Bowcaster at the Commando. Sev rolled off of the Wookiee and raised his DC-17. With his blaster leveled, Sev was ready to react. Sev fired his blaster first, skimming the shoulder of the Wookiee. It reeled backwards, as Sev slammed the butt of his DC-17 into the back of the other. Just as the Wookiee fell, something small jumped off its back. Sev watched it summersault in the air and land behind him. It wasn't until the thing had landed and ignited a rather small emerald green lightsaber which was pointed at the Commando, that he identified it as his target. Right away Sev recognized the round, green, aged face of the most esteemed Jedi Masters by the emitting glow. But Sev too was ready. He had his iron sights trained, center mass of the small figure. The Commando was close enough to see the intensity of the Jedi's small bronze irises. The killer in Sev kicked in. He tightened his grip on the handle of his blaster as he started to squeeze the trigger. What a great honor to be the one to hunt down the legendary Master Yoda. But as he continued his effort to pull the small metal trigger that would unleash such a deadly blow, the very word 'honor' began to dance in his head. How honorable was this? What had he done to deserve death? Sev struggled; he suddenly felt a calm soothing feeling, which grew the longer he stared into the Jedi's eyes. Though Sev was wearing a helmet, he felt as if Yoda too was staring in his own battle-hardened eyes. No, this was wrong. With his blaster still leveled, Sev backed away.

"Get out of here," he grunted. Yoda continued to stare at him. After a while, he pulled his lightsaber away and extinguished the emerald blade. As the Wookiees stood back up, Sev recognized one of them immediately, likewise with the Wookiee. Tarfful, the Chieftain of Kachirho. The savage expression on the dark furred Wookiee eased only slightly at the recognition of his rescuer. The other whom Sev had never before seen disappeared with Yoda on his back into the jungle, Tarfful without breaking eye contact with the Commando, followed. Just seconds later, the brush behind Sev exploded with white armored Clone Troopers. They were shouting after the Wookiees in anger.

"Get them!" As they jeered, they fired at the Wookiees. Sev shouted out against them.

"Hold your fire dammit!" Obediently and to Sev's surprise, they lowered their blasters.

"Sir those are fugitives," one of the Clone's barked.

"I'm ordering you to stand down," Sev declared.

"Not going to happen, _Sir. _Men, arrest the Commando!" Sev reacted and raised his DC-17 and fired on the Clones. One by one, they collapsed with cries of pain and death. Sev kept the firefight going, dodging into whatever little cover he had. He stood behind a tree as blue blaster bolts flew past him.

Keilbourn knew exactly what it was the moment he heard it, a firefight, eagerly, he surveyed the area around him to pinpoint the action. From his perch in a tall tree, Keilbourn sensed the battle, just deeper into the trees. The ARC jumped down from his branch and crashed into a roll. He unclipped his DC-15S from his belt and readied it as he ran to the battle. Whether it was droids, Jedi or any kind of creature, the ARC was ready.

Sev hated the idea of regular white-jobs giving him a hard time, with dwindling ammunition, that was exactly what he was having. The Commando popped from cover again firing another controlled burst of blaster fire. His weary eyes glanced down at the ammo indicator displayed on his blaster. To his dread, it finally read zero. While crouched in cover, Sev dropped his DC-17 and reached back for his DC-15s sidearm, supplied with an energy cell that recharged for unlimited ammo. Sev leaned from his cover, opening fire again on the Clones. One of the opposing bolts flew right at him. Sev saw it coming as if reality was at a slow pace. It was too late, he couldn't dodge this one. This bolt would hit him square in the face. Suddenly, Sev's life was saved. He felt himself being shoved to the side, away from the deadly blue bolt. Sev heard another blaster join in on the fight. He looked over to see a heavy built, green detailed ARC Trooper, crouched in the open mercilessly taking on the Clones.

"You 1207?" he barked while focusing down range. Sev noticed he wasn't shooting to kill, just suppressing them back.

"Yeah," he grunted as he too continued to fire, but with deadly intent.

"What's going on here?" the ARC asked. Sev was slightly confused. Why as he helping him?

"Shoot first, talk later," Sev growled. The ARC shrugged. He redirected his fire to Sev's advantage. Before long only two of the Clones remained. They both turned and ran away. Sev wouldn't allow it, he couldn't. He stood from his cover and with his exceptional aim; he took them both out from behind with his DC-15s sidearm. The Troopers died with a crash in the forest. Behind Sev, the mysterious ARC approached him.

"Nice shot," the ARC mused. "Yeah you're definitely Delta 07," he added with a chuckle. Sev had had enough surprises. With a swift move, he turned on the ARC with his blaster leveled. With a grim growl, he spoke.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The ARC was taken by surprise. He jumped back slightly, but held his ground.

"Keilbourn," he said calmly. "I'm here on a personal favor for a mutual friend."

"And who's that," Sev snapped back.

"Sergeant Vau," Keilbourn said.

"Walon." Sev whispered in shock. Though the ARC couldn't tell, Sev's eyes grew wide at the mentioning of his trainer.

"He told me to report back to him after searching for you," Keilbourn said. "But before we do that, we gotta get out of here." Keilbourn looked around at the dead Clone. "We've gotta get rid of the evidence, being you're a fugitive now." Sev wasn't all too sure, but so far, Keilbourn had been a great help. After mauling it over, Sev decided to follow along, besides, getting in touch with Walon Vau meant making contact with Delta Squad.

Chamber 17

What Sev didn't know was that Keilbourn had meant far more than just the Trooper's bodies when he said 'evidence.' The both of them sat onboard the ARC's personal NR2 Gully Jumper, wearing only their black body gloves. Just moments ago as Keilbourn flew out of Kashyyyk's atmosphere; Sev had jettisoned all of their armor and weapons, all traces connecting them to the Republic. Sev felt strange and exposed without his plates of armor. The cold was really getting to him, only reminding him of his current state. But it was more than just the lack of armor that made him feel abnormal. As far as Sev knew, he was a fugitive now. The Republic would now be on the hunt for the lost Commando. The only consoling aspect of his situation was that he wasn't alone. Keilbourn too was now in the same position. Sev was still weary of the ARC, not yet fully trusting him. But Sev didn't have the luxury of being choosy when it came to his allies. Before long, Keilbourn sent his ship into hyperspace. As Sev watched as the stars zipped past them, he whistled.

"Nice ship you got here."

"Yep, one of the classics suped up by Mandal-Motors. They make only the best," Keilbourn said with pride. "It's a very old design, like back from the old wars."

"Wouldn't an old ship bring up some problems?" Sev asked.

"Sure thing, but I fixed this one up myself, found it on Mechis 3 during one of my ops. Should've seen it then," Keilbourn chuckled. He looked back out the window of his ship, watching the swirl of hyperspace. Neither of them spoke for a while. Then Sev cleared his throat.

"So…Keilbourn is it?" The ARC looked over and nodded. "What exactly is going on?" Sev asked grimly. "One minute I'm lost in the jungles, next I'm being instructed to hunt down Jedi," Sev growled as he spoke. His frustration towards his situation was apparent.

"Chancellor Palpatine has enacted Order 66. The Jedi tried to throw a coup, or so we've been told." Keilbourn activated the comm in his ship. "I think it's time we get some real answers though," he said. He dialed in a frequency. Within moments, the small blue hologram projection of Walon Vau came into focus.

"Keilbourn," he sighed with relief. "What's your status?" Vau barked. His image was stiff as he spoke to the ARC's own holographic projection.

"Sev, say hi," Keilbourn said simply. He walked away from the image as Sev stepped into view. As Sev bashfully stepped into the trainer's line of sight, he was surprised to see the man's cold steely eyes ease as his mouth dropped open in surprise. As if in sudden realization of himself, Vau regained his sense as he straightened back up.

"07, still causing problems I see," he said in a not too harsh tone. Sev stared back at the Mandalorian indifferently.

"Yes Sir," he said simply. Sudden flashbacks began to fly through Sev's mind as he was brought back to the many interrogation sessions and dueling circles the Sergeant put him through. In the end, it was all for the best, but Sev always felt he was being singled out at times for the harshest of training, which attributed to his dark demeanor.

"Well, Delta Squad's going to be ecstatic when I tell them about this."  
"Sir, when can I link up with them?" Sev asked without patience. Vau's expression dove grimmer than before.

"07, everything's changing. The Chancellor has lost all sense and is completely turning the Republic on its head. There's an order in affect issuing all Clones to execute Jedi on sight. If you ask me, you and Keilbourn would do well to stay away." Vau finished with a grim seriousness on his sunken face.

"What do you suggest then Sir?" Keilbourn chimed in as he sat down in the pilot's chair. Vau cocked an eyebrow as he glanced over at Keilbourn.

"Well, you both know your Mandalorian culture, and the best way to hide is in your element," Vau said. To Sev, it was an echo from the past, reverberating off the metal walls of the training arena on Kamino. "I have a very good friend he is a clan leader on the moon of Dxun." Sev and Keilbourn looked at each other. "Maybe with a little persuasion, he'd be happy to help you both."

"Us, Mandalorians?" Sev asked with disbelief.

"It's worth a try," Keilbourn added with a small shrug.

"Now the man you'll be looking for is Vesu Ordo, It's going to take a lot to convince him," Vau chuckled.

"What makes you say that," Keilbourn asked.

"I know him," Vau answered firmly. "The guy's as stubborn as Sev here is on a marksmen operation." Sev rolled his eyes.

"You said he's on Dxun," Sev repeated.

"You'll find Vesu's clan there," Vau said smoothly. "Now I must be going, I have some unfinished business to wrap up."

"Sir," blurted Sev. "What about Delta Squad," he asked. Walon sensed some pain in his voice as he inquired about his brothers.

"Sev, Delta Squad is en route to Courascaunt. Like every other Special Operations teams, they will be reorganized into Palpatine's new order. All you can do is to forget about them. Doing otherwise will bring nothing but pain," Vau said with sincerity. His gaze for the first time in Sev's life showed sympathy. "I'll be in touch soon." With that, Walon Vau's image disappeared as Keilbourn cut the communication. He watched Sev as the Commando stared at where the blue image had once been. Sev's head dropped slightly. Keilbourn reached over to the navigation console.

"So, Dxun huh," Keilbourn sighed. Sev stayed motionless. The ARC looked back and sighed again as he spun around in his chair to face Sev.

"Hey, I know you're going to miss your team, but we have no chance trying to survive alone. You and I, we got to stick together," Keilbourn said consolingly. "Besides, this Vesu seems like he could help us," Keilbourn added. Sev looked over at him. With a smirk,

"Alright then, Dxun it is." Convinced, Keilbourn turned away and returned to his controls. Sev too was convinced; he was convinced this was the end of Delta Squad, and a new beginning for him.


End file.
